Buddiebabe's SOA / Debt Diary

buddiebabe

Well phoned the insurance company today about my window. They will send someone out and all i need to pay is £60.00 excess and i only need to pay that once they have fixed the window so i've a bit of time to find that.

I received another statement from American Express today as far as i knew this account was closed a month ago. Just off the phone to them and they did not close my account spoke to a very nice man who said that he would reduce my APR to 6.9% for purchases and 6.7% for balance transfers for the life of the balance. So i have transferred my MBNA and Morgan Stanley credit card balances to American express which will bring my interest down and also get rid of another two cards. (pending approval) although i've never had a balance transfer request rejected before. Can they do this???

The morgan stanley card is not the highest interest rate but id rather pay off another card. Makes it look like im actually getting somewhere.

Can't wait till these balance transfers go through so i can update my signature :T

Buddiebabe x

buddiebabe

Well its been a really bad week this week.

First my window was broken - this will cost £60.00 to fix and two days off work waiting for the repairs to be done

Then i found out that a friend of the family was killed

My car was making really strange noises took it to the garage and they couldn't find anything ... then the noises started again. Took it back to the garage costing me £ 133.67

Then on Friday my grampa died ... it wasn't unexpected but it didn't make things any easier.

When i got home i found two letters from American Express telling me that my balance transfers have been unsuccessful so i have phoned them and closed my account.

I just feel like giving up.

Im doing everything i can to try to get some extra money cut everything down and im not getting anywhere. All the money i've made over the last few weeks on ebay is now being used to pay for my car and the window leaving me short this month.

I've got loads of stuff in the house to list on ebay but no motivation to do this maybe things will be a bit better after the funeral but im not counting on it.

Buddiebabe x

scottishspendaholic

Hi buddiebabe,

So sorry to hear about your terrible week. It sounds like you are having a really rough time of it - you must be feeling awful.

Make sure you look after yourself and don't be too hard on yourself. When things like deaths happen, you will need to spend money unexpectedly (i.e. travelling to the funeral, outfit etc.). However, please don't give up totally. I know that money saving and making money is the last thing on your mind but you have been doing so well and just need to chalk week up as a bad one and move on once the funerals are over.

With regards to your unexpected car costs, could you open a spare account and pay in a small amount each month to pay for things like this? I have one and I put £30 a month into it - the balance is now £300 and this will pay for my MOT/a year's car insurance and any repairs needed at end of August this year.

Hugs to you.

love

scottishspendaholic x

gallygirl

buddiebabe wrote:

Well its been a really bad week this week....


Im doing everything i can to try to get some extra money cut everything down and im not getting anywhere. All the money i've made over the last few weeks on ebay is now being used to pay for my car and the window leaving me short this month.


Buddiebabe x

Aw bless, poor you, and sorry about your grandpa.

Please don't let this all set you back too much. I know it's awful when you plan to pay off money then can't - but at least you've had the money from ebay to pay for the car and window, so you haven't had to add to your debt.

As for the little ****'s who broke your window...... Someone owes me a lot of money and I have no chance of getting it back. When it gets me down I picture dreadful things (accidentally, of course;) ) happening to him..... Try picture them getting lowered very slowly into a vat of caustic soda. Or kidnapped, taken to the middle of Bolivia and released naked with no money. Or tied up to a post and eaten by rats. Or being Tom Cruise's partner and giving birth in silence with no painkillers. Am sure you can put your mind to it and come up with some ideas of your own. :eek:

And remember the positives - reductions in Sky and phone costs, plus a pay rise. All because you were assertive on the phone, and super at your job. Well done you!!!!!! xx

buddiebabe

Hi everyone

Well i've had a really bad week and have not been good with money at all. In fact i've undone all the good work that I had done in the last few months so now i need to get things back on track and start again.

Please don't be too judgemental it's been a really bad time for me and my family. Things can only get better from now on.

My outstanding debts are now as follows:

BARCLAYCARD £5530.00
MBNA £4595.00
MORGAN STANLEY £2240.00
ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND MASTERCARD £6950.00
SKY £700.00
TESCO £1976.72

OVERDRAFT £277.66 O/D (THIS FIGURE INCLUDES 160.00 MINIMUM PAYMENT FOR RBS M/C FOR JUNE AND £72.52 FOR MBNA FOR JUNE)

TOTAL DEBT OUTSTANDING £ 22269.38

SAVINGS:

HALIFAX £161.13 - MY HALIFAX ACCOUNT IS GOING TO BE USED TO PAY FOR MY HOME INSURANCE AND ANY CAR REPAIRS I NEED I WILL ADD TO THIS USING ANY LOOSE CHANGE THAT I CAN SAVE
WORKS SAVINGS ACCOUNT £301.29 - IM GOING TO TAKE £300 FROM THIS ACCOUNT TOMORROW AND PAY OFF MY OVERDRAFT. I AM THEN GOING TO USE MY WORKS SAVINGS ACCOUNT TO SAVE FOR XMAS £25 A MONTH - WHICH BY THE END OF THE YEAR SHOULD GIVE ME £200 THIS WILL BE USED FOR XMAS PRESENTS, BIRTHDAY PRESENTS AND BUYING A NEW OUTFIT FOR MY XMAS NITE OUT.
EBAY SAVINGS ACCOUNT £152.53 - THIS IS GOING TO BE USED TO PAY TOWARDS MY CREDIT CARDS WHEN I DON'T HAVE ENOUGHT TO COVER MY MONTHLY PAYMENTS. I WILL PUT 20% OF ANY PAYPAL PAYMENTS I RECEIVE FROM EBAY SALES INTO THIS ACCOUNT

TOTAL SAVINGS £ 614.95

mdeebee

Keep your chin up.

x

lynzpower

buddiebabe, sorry to hear things have been so rough for you

Molanole

Sorry things have been tough recently. Just wanted to say hang in there and we are always here if you need to rant during the bad times as well as cheer you on in the good times.

Keep your chin up x

dottyanne

buddiebabe wrote:

Well its been a really bad week this week.

First my window was broken - this will cost £60.00 to fix and two days off work waiting for the repairs to be done

Then i found out that a friend of the family was killed

My car was making really strange noises took it to the garage and they couldn't find anything ... then the noises started again. Took it back to the garage costing me £ 133.67

Then on Friday my grampa died ... it wasn't unexpected but it didn't make things any easier.

When i got home i found two letters from American Express telling me that my balance transfers have been unsuccessful so i have phoned them and closed my account.

I just feel like giving up.

Im doing everything i can to try to get some extra money cut everything down and im not getting anywhere. All the money i've made over the last few weeks on ebay is now being used to pay for my car and the window leaving me short this month.

I've got loads of stuff in the house to list on ebay but no motivation to do this maybe things will be a bit better after the funeral but im not counting on it.

Buddiebabe x

Hi Buddiebabe

Just had a quick read through your thread - you seem to be a bit like me at the moment - trying and seeming to do all the right things - but getting no further

It looks like you've had a rough time recently so hugs to you - keep your chin up love as it seems you are very determined to reach your goal (as I am) - rome wasnt built in a day...........just keep plodding - at least youre making all the right moves!! sometimes things in life have a habit of getting in the way!!!!!:rolleyes:


love

dottyanne..xx

buddiebabe

Thank you for your kind words of support. Its made me feel a bit better.

I've been having a think about where i've been going wrong lately and its occurred to me that i everything goes into my current account and then i use the online banking facility to pay things, not taking into account things that have to be paid later on like other credit card minimum payments.

So i've decided that once i pay the £300 into my account tomorrow it will put my account into credit. I have two jobs and my main wage covers all the direct debits and standing orders so i will leave that wage in my account and will take out my second job wage every friday when i get paid.

Out of my wage from my second job i will put the money away in envelopes for my other credit cards. I used to do this and it worked well ( I knew that i couldnt spend it or the bills wouldn't get paid ) so i wont find that a temptation. Its just if its in the bank i think its my money!!! and not for my debts.

Im also selling stuff on ebay i've got 203 items listed and only 3 of them are selling i do intend to list more but have not really been motivated lately. Im going to try to list a few a nite after i finish my 2nd job.... its not always possible but im going to try. I'll really need to try put some on on tuesday as its a 5p listing day! :T

Im going to split my paypal ebay money as follows:
20% into my ebay savings account
30% towards my highest APR credit card (at the moment thats my SKYCARD)
20% into an account for postage costs - i need to do this as in the past i've had to struggle to find money to pay for the postage whilst waiting for Paypal payments to reach my bank account
20% towards my monthly payments for my credit cards as sometimes im a bit short
10% for me to put in my purse to live off of if needed - if not needed that week then im going to use it towards my monthly payments

Any postal orders that i get im going to use for road tax and tv licence stamps and any cheques for under £5 will go into my ebay savings account. Cheques for over £5 will go into my current account as it takes less time to clear and i will pay this towards my SKYCARD

Im setting a goal to pay off my SKYCARD before xmas - snowball calculator says it should be paid off by August 2007 but im going to do my best to get this down before xmas - which means i really need to pay it £100 per month. :rolleyes: I will update every thread with my SKYCARD total when i submit a post.
SKYCARD BALANCE £ 700.00

Sorry for the long post but i think that now i have it written down i should be able to stick to it.

Thanks for listening

Buddiebabe x